Guide twister



Feb. 2, 1937. w H. CATTERALL UAL 2,069,517

GUIDE TwIsTER Filed July 29, 1.933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 2, 1937. W H.CATTERALL ET AL 2,069,517

GUIDE TWISTER Filed July 29, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :um: u

Mlm/a Patented Feb. 2, 1937 S'ETES Parent eri-*ies GUIDE TWISTERApplication `lilly 29, 1933, Serial No. 682,782

16 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved device for operating guides incombination with a repeater for rolling mills in which by suitableguiding mechanism the bar is led from the shaping pass of one set ofrolls to the shaping pass of another set of rolls. More particularly ourinvention relates to devices for receiving the end of a bar coming froma roll pass to impart a twist to the bar, and to guide the bar to theentry guide which directs it into another set of pass rolls.

It is well known that in the form of rolling mills where the rolls forsuccessive passes are arranged with their axes in a straight line, it isnecessary that the end o1c the bar be reversed in its direction oftravel in order that it may be successively passed through the variouspasses of the mill. It is also necessary during this reversing operationto give the bar a turn axially before it is passed into the second setof pass rolls. Heretoiore this was accomplished by having an operatorstand Z between the roll stands and to grab the end of the bar as itcomes from the rst pass and byV turning his body to turn the end of thebar and direct it into the next pair oi rolls. Another method is toprovide fixed guides on the delivery side of the mill for twisting thebar as it comes from the first pass and directing it into a repeaterwhich in turn directs the bar into the entry guide of the second pass.The hand turning method is not only difcult and dangerous, but '50expensive from an operating point of view. The second method of usingguides to perform this work has also required the attention of anoperator to adjust the entry guides. Twisting guides have been used totwist the bar coming from the first pass, but if the guides remain in afixed position the twist is communicated to the entry guides of thesecond set of rolls through the torsion of bar exerted by the twister.This torsional strain is constantly increasing on both the twisting andentry guides as long as the bar is in both and the return loop isincreasing in length. This continued torsion greatly increases the wearon the guides and tends to scratch the bar. The 4 tendency of thegrowing twist in the bar is to push the top roll of the second stand inone direction and the bottom roll in the opposite direction therebydistorting the section and causing excessive end thrust and wear on theroll bearings. 50 By releasing the twister and permitting it to floatback to the position of least torsion as the bar enters the second setof rolls, the tendency to scratch the bar is eliminated and prolongs thelife of the guides and roll bearings.

55 An object of this invention is the turning and (Cl. Sil- 53)controlling of the bar which may be square, diamond shaped, oval,rectangular, or any other shape of cross-section worked through the millrequiring repeaters, so that it will be delivered to the entry guides ofthe second set of rolls uniformly and in the proper position to receivethe shaping and reducing work of the pass in that set of rolls.

Another object is to relieve the torsion on the bar exerted by thetwister at the delivery side of the iirst roll pass.

A further object is to provide for the automatic setting and releasingof the guide twister in combination with apparatus used to operate anopening and closing entry guide on repeating mills, or the setting andreleasing of the twister automatically by mechanical means, or by hand,the setting of the twister and the operation of the adjustable entryguides being simultaneous.

The novel features will be more fully understood from the followingdescription and claims taken with the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of two stands of roll passes, a guide twister atthe delivery side of the rst stand, a repeater, an adjustable guide atthe entry side of the second stand, and electrically controlled meansfor automatically operating the guide twister and the adjustable guidesby the movement of the bar passing between the two stands.

Fig. 2 is an elevation and cross-section taken on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section of the guide twister taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a front View of the guide twister and its housing.

Fig. 5 shows the connection end of a. lever for turning the twister.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the entry guide taken on line 6 6 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 7 is diagrammatic of the Iiag switch positioned adjacent the entryguide as shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numerals Iand 2 indicate two stands of rolls oi a continuous rod or bar mill, eachhaving a set of rolls 3 and ll of the two high type. The set of rolls 3having a reducing pass 5 formed therein while rolls l have a pass formedas at 6. From Fig. 2 it will be noted that the bottom roll of stand l isin line with the top roll of stand 2 so that the coupling connecting thetwo stands will move the piece being rolled in opposite directions. As ameans of illustration, I have chosen to reduce a square bar 'l to anoval 8 in stand I, and in stand 2 the oval is reduced to a round 9, therolls may, however, have any other shaped passes as desired. The ovalorbar as it comes from stand I is positioned with its major axis in ahorizontal position, but upon entering the guide twister I the bar isturned about its axis so that'by the time it has passed through therepeater II `and reaches the guide I2 its end will have been turnedsubstantially 90 for entering the pass of rolls 4. Intermediate thetwister I0 and repeater II is a guide I3, and in- Vterrnediate therepeater and guide YI2 is another guide I4.

The guide twister I0 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 comprises a rotatableholder VI5 which is cylindrical in shape with a flange I6 for holdingvit in The holder is provided with a rec- I1 for receiving the splitguides The position. tangular opening I8 which are of Vordinaryconstruction;r`

guides' are provided with straight grooved chan'- nels and are flaredVat their receiving ends so as lto provide an entry for the bar as itcomes'from v the rolls. The guides are secured inholder I5 by means ofset bolts I9. The bearing for mounting the Vholder is in the form of apillow block having a base 28V and cap 2I. Y 'Ihe bearing isprovidedwith a tongue 22 on'its under sidewhich Y is adapted to slide ina slot 23 of the supporting 1 bracket 24 so 530 that the bearing can beadjusted' horizontally. Attached to the guide holder I5 is aV lever 25Vfor rotating the holder and the guides.

The entry guide I2 Vfor pass 6 is mounted between the housings of stand2 by means of rest bars in the usual manner. This guide is mounted in ahollow rectangular guide box 26in which are Y positioned'stationary andmovable guides 2l and Yfor the reception of a squared end of a shaft 32,

which extends outwardly through the roll housing, thus providingarconnection for the end of the shaft. Thus, when shaft 32 is rotated inone direction Vthe guide 28 is free toV open relative to guide 2'I andwhen the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction, guide 28 closes inon guide 2'I.

The guides I0 and I2 are operatively connected for simultaneousadjustment by means of alever 33 secured to the end of shaft 32. Thislever is connected Vto lever 34 by means of link 35, and lever 34 inturn is connected to the cross shaft 36. Near the end of the shaft isattached a lever 371 which-is connected to a bell crank 38 by meansof'rods 39 and 40,'and turnbuckle 4I. Lever 25 which is attached to thetwister is connected Yto the bell crank 38 by means of the turnbucklelink 42. It will be noted that levers 33, 34, 31,'

and 38 areY provided with additional holes for adjustment purposes sothat theV relative movement of the two guides may be varied to suit anycon-Y dition: The turnbuckles 4I and 42 also provide for fine adjustmentwithout stopping the Yrolling operation. v Y Y Y At the end of shaft 36are mounted two4 discs 43 spaced apart, and in this space is mounted alever'44pivotally connected to the discs. other end of the lever 44 ispivoted to supporting brackets 45. A solenoid magnet 46 is provided Thev for rotating the shaft 36 in one direction while a weight 48 willcause the rotation ofthe shaft in an opposite direction. The core 4'I ofthe solenoid and weight are connected to leve144 by means of rods'49 andturnbuckle 56 as shown in Fig. .2.,

The solenoid is energizedV by means of an electric Y generator 5 I. Fig.l illustrates the wiring Vor circuit connections between the solenoidandgenerator which includes a flag switch 52 for opening and closing thecircuit. The switch comprises a ilag 53 positioned in the guide I4 justahead of guide i2. The flag is connected to a contactor Y 54 forcompleting the circuit in wires 55 and 53. The switch as a whole may bemounted in any y suitable manner but it should be mounted so that it maybe moved toward or away from stand 2. The switch is opened by themovement of the bar being rolled as it passes under the flag 53, andafter the bar has passed theY switch the spring 5l will return theswitch to its closed po sition as shown in Fig. 7. In place ofthe flagswitch, anelectric-eye or photo-cell may be used to advantage as acontrolling meansY for openingv and closing the circuit between thegenerator and solenoid. TheA operation of the'eye would b`e effected bythepassing of the bar under the eye. The eye in this case would beconsidered an equivalent to the ilagv switch, v and as its purpose andfunction is well understood further descrip- Y tion is consideredunnecessary.

The curved repeater trough I I is adapted to receive the bar after itissues from pass 5 and guides it in a curved direction to pass 6. Thetop of the troughV is open to allow the rod or bar to be raised out ofthe trough by means of the kicker 58 and to extend over a table 59 incase the rod is delivered from'pass 5 faster than is taken in by pass 6thereby producing a loop or overfeed.

The kicker is connected to shaft 36 which operates the guides Vand-isautomatically actuated by the passing of the bar under the flag 53. Akicker of this type is shown in U. SQPatent 1,046,950.V

In operation the normal position` of the twister I0 is set so'that whena .bar issuing from pass 5 enters the guides I8 a twist is .imparted tothe bar. the end of the bar about 90.by the time itV has reached theguide I2. Normally the screw 3| This twist being' only sufficient tovVturnV is in a retracted position which allows `guide block 28 to openrelative to guide block 2'I. This provides for the free entry of the endof the barY Under these conditions the flag into the guide. switch is inthe closed position as shown in Fig. 7 which closes the electrical'circuit in wires 55 and 56. When the circuit is closed thesolenoid isenergized which lifts the core of the magnet. In,

other words, with the switch closed the solenoid is energized, the guidetwister ID is in its twisting position, and the guide I2 is open., Whenthe end of the bar being rolled reaches the flag 53 the switch isopened, thus de-energizing the solenoid and allowing the weight 48 torotate shaft 36in a reverse direction so as to close the entry guide I2on the bar and simultaneously turn the twister to a position coincidentlwith pass 5 as shown'in Fig. 4. This feature of automatically. turningback the twister, after the bar has entered guide I2, permits the bar toemerge from pass 5 in an untwisted position, thereby releasing thetorsion on the rod. The position of the switch relative to pass 6 isVdetermined by trial, and it is important that the switch be placed sothat after the switch is opened by the passing bar, the end of the barwill have entered the guides and about reached the bite of the roll passbefore the entry guides close upon the bar. If the entry guides closetoo quickly it may retard or stop the movement of the bar. The lapse oftime between the opening of the switch and the entry of the bar into thebite of the rolls is caused by the inertia and friction in the operatingparts. However, with the rod moving at a high rate of speed, this timeinterval is very short.

It will be noted that the solenoid sets the twister and the entry guidein one position only, and that the weight 48, which is an independentsource of power, closes the entry lguide and returns the twister to itsuntwisted position.

The operating mechanism of the twister is constructed so that the angleof the twister can be increased or diminished, and the amount of releasethrow varied to suit the roller in a few seconds and without delayingthe on-coming bar.

The advantages oiered by this invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. By turning and controlling the bar it will bedelivered to the entry guides of the second pass uniformly and in properposition to receive the shaping and reducing work of the pass; thereleasing of the torsion on the bar exerted by the twister, because ifthe twister remains set in its former position this torsion iscommunicated to the entry guides of the second pass,lthe strainconstantly increasing on both twister and entry 4guides as long as thebar is in both and the loop is increasing in length; reduction of wearon the twister and entry guides; and the elimination of the tendency toscratch the bar. In rolling very long bars with a xed twister theaccumulating torsion is sometimes suiicient to cause the looped portionof the bar to rise up and twist, with obvious serious results both tothe operators of the mill and the mill itself--this danger is alsoeliminated. The tendency of a growing twist in a bar to push the rollsin opposite directions is relieved, thereby producing a more uniformsection and less end thrust on the roll bearings.

While we have illustrated and described one particular embodiment of ourinvention, it will be understood that in its broader aspects, theinvention is not limited to the specic means shown covering the Variousmovements and actions described, producing the results stated.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a rolling mill the combination with two roll passes, of a straightgrooved guide rotatably mounted at the delivery side of the rst pass andpositioned to impart twist to the piece being rolled as it emerges fromsaid pass, a separable guide located at the entry side of the secondpass, and actuating means operatively connecting said guides forsimultaneously closing said separable guide and turning said straightgrooved guide to an untvvisting position so as to relieve its twistingeirect on the piece when in engagement with both guides.

2. In a rolling mill the combination with a plurality of roll passes, ofa rotatable guide at the delivery side of one pass and positioned totwist the piece being rolled as it emerges from said pass, a guidehaving a fixed plate and a movable plate positioned at the entry side ofanother pass, and means for simultaneously adjusting said movable plateand turning said rotatable guide to an untwisting position so as torelieve its twisting effect on the piece.

3. In a rolling mill the combination with two roll passes, of arotatable guide at the delivery side of the rst pass and positioned totwist the piece being rolled as it emerges from said pass, a separableguide adapted to be opened or closed at the entry side of the secondpass, a repeater for conducting the piece from the iirst pass to thesecond pass, and means for simultaneously closing said separable guideupon the entry of the piece to the second pass and to turn saidrotatable guide so as to allow the piece to continue its movement fromthe first stand in an untwisted position.

4. In a rolling mill the combination with two stands of rolls providedwith grooved passes requiring the turning of the bar being rolledbetween the stands, of a curved repeater Jfor conducting 'the bar fromone to the other stand, a rotatably mounted twister guide having astraight opening positioned at the delivery side of the rst stand, aseparable guide at the entry side of the second stand, and meansoperatively connecting both of said guides for simultaneously opening orclosing said separable guide and rotating said twister guide.

5. In a rolling mill, a set of rolls provided with an elongated pass, asecond set of rolls having a pass diiering from the rst pass, means forconducting the bar being rolled from one to the other pass, a rotatablymounted twisting guide having straight grooves positioned between saidconducting means and the first set of rolls, a separable guide betweensaid conducting means and said second set of rolls, and means forsimultaneously closing said separable guide against the bar entering thepass of said second set of rolls and to rotate said twisting guide.

6. In a rolling mill the combination with two roll passes, of arotatable guide positioned at the delivery side of the rst pass, aseparable guide adapted tobe opened and closed positioned at the y entryside of the second pass, a repeater extending from the delivery side ofsaid rotatable guide to the entry side of said separable guide, saidrotatable guide being positioned to receive and twist the piece beingrolled as it emerges from the rst pass and to deliver the piece to saidseparable guide by means of said repeater, said saparable guide being inits open position relative to the twisted position of said rotatableguide when receiving the end of the piece, means operatively connectingsaid guides for simultaneously closing said separable guide upon thepiece being rolled and for returning the rotatable guide to itsuntwisted position so as to relieve the torsion in the piece and itswedging effect upon the rolls.

'7. In a bar rolling mill the combinationwith two roll passes, of astationary guide rotatably mounted at the delivery side of the rst pass,stationary guides intermediate said passes for conducting the bar fromthe delivery side of the rst pass to the entry si-de of the second pass,said rotatable guide being positioned relative to the rst roll pass soas to engage and immediately twist the bar upon entering the guide andto present the bar to the second roll pass by means of said intermediateguides, and automatically operated means controlled by the movement ofthe bar as it approaches said second pass for turning said rotatableguide whereby it is repositioned so as to coincide with the rst passthereby relieving the twist in the bar as it passes through said guide.

8. The combination with a pair of rolling units, of a repeater throughwhich a bar emerging from one unit is directed to the pass of the otherunit, a twister interposed between the rst rolling unit Y and therepeater through which a rod emerging from the rst rolling unit mustpass and by meansV of which the rod is turnedthe necessary amount to bereceived by the pass of the second unita separable guide between saidrepeater Vsaid second unit, means forclosing said separable guideagainst the bar-entering the pass of said second unit and forsimultaneously turning said twister so as to relieve the torsion in thebar as it emerges from said first rolling unit.

9. In a rolling mill, the combination with two stands of roll passes, aguide twister at the Vdelivery side of the rst pass, a separable guideat the entry side of the second pass, means `for simultaneouslyadjusting said separable guide and Y turning said twister, and means forregulating the angular position of said twisterfrelative to itscorrespon-ding roll pass. l

10. In a rolling mill, the combination with two stands of rolls, a guidetwister atthe delivery side of the first stand, a Vseparable guide atthe entry side of the second stand, means for simul-V taneously openingsaid separable guide and turning said twister'in one -direction to twistthe piece V,being rolled, and means independent of saidirst means forautomatically closing said separable guide and turning said twister inthe opposite direction to untwist the piece after it has entered theseparable guide. v Y i 'Y 11. In a rolling mill, the combination withtwo stands of rolls, a guide twister at the delivery side of the rststand, a separable `guide including a Y xed guide plate and a movableguide plate at the entry side of the second stand, electrically operatedmeansV controlled by a travelling bar being rolled for releasing saidmovable guide and simultaneously turning said twister in one direction,and means independent of said electric means for closing said movableguide and turning said twister in the opposite direction. y

12. In a rolling mill, thev combination of two stands of rolls, a guideVtwisterat the delivery side or" the rst stand, a guide box secured tothe housings of the second stand, a iiXed guide plate and a movableguide plate mounted in said box, means controlled by the bar beingrolled to release or close said movable plate and to rotate said twisterin opposite directions, a repeater between said twister and said guidebox,

' and means for adjusting` the degree of rotation of saidV twister.

13. In a rolling mill, the combination with two stands of roll passes,of a guide twister in xed relation to the delivery side of the rst pass,aY

piece after its forward end has reached the second pass and ywhile stillin engagement with the piece. i n Y 14. In a rolling mill, the'combination with two stands of rolls having different passes, an entryguide box securedto the housingsV of the second stand, a xed guide plateYand a movable guide plate each having a grooved innerfface mounted inthe guide box, a screw threaded intomthe side of the guide box, a shaftconnected to the screw, a guide twister at the delivery side of thekfirst stand carrying straight grooved guides, means operativelyconnecting said screw shaft with said twister, electrically operatedmeans controlled by the bar being rolled adapted to rotatesaid shait andscrew to release the Vmovable guide plate from the xed guide plateandrotate said twister so as to twist a bar emerging from the firststand of rolls, 'and means independent of the electrically operatedmeans for rotating the shaft and screw in the reverse direction to that,of the electrically operated means for'moving the Ymovable guide platetoward the iixedY guide plate and to rotate said twister-in Vthereverse'direction so as to untwist the'ba'r but not 15. In a rollingmill, the combination with two stands. oi rolls having differentlyshaped passes,

said guides for opening said second guide and simultaneously turningsaid twister forl positioning the guide carried thereby-Vat an angle tosaid its forward end has entered the entry guide. Y

rst pass so as 'to twist the bar as it emerges from said pass, powercontrol means adjacent said second guide actuated bythe bar as itapproaches the second pass for automatically .interrupting the power tosaid member, and

means independent of said power memberrfor automatically closing saidsecond guide and simultaneously returning said twister to a position soas to allow the piece to continue its movement from the iirst pass in anuntwisted position and thereby relieve its torsional strain on theguides `and wedging effect on the rolls. Y

16,. In a rolling mill, the combination with two stands of rolls, of arotatable guide twister mounted in xed relation to the delivery side ofthe iirst stand of rolls, xed guides for directing the bar being rolledfrom said twister tothe second Vstand .of rolls, actuating means for r0-Vtating said twister, twister control means positioned in the way ofsaid kfixed guides and in front of said second stand of rolls, and meansoperatively connecting Vsaid control with said actuating means, saidcontrolV being directly responsive to the effect of a bar passingthrough said xed guides for automatically rotating said twister. Y

1 WILLIAM H. CATTERALL.

